Fund-raising Bazaar at Cupar

From the Dundee Evening Telegraph, 28th January 1916.

BAZAAR AND CARNIVAL AT CUPAR.

A two-days’ bazaar and carnival under the auspices of the Cupar and District Voluntary Workers’ Association was opened at the Castlehill School, Cupar, to-day by Mrs Anstruther Gray of Kilmany.

Mrs Lumsden, Tarvit, the convener of the Executive Committee, is a thoroughly up-to-date, go-ahead organiser, and it is in large measure due to her untiring energy that so much interest has been aroused in the event. The appeal for funds and gifts has been phenomenal, and visitors to the fair found a huge array of all sorts of articles, including a dark oak corner cupboard that once reposed in the house of the famous Rev. Dr Chalmers at Anstruther; a “Treacle” Bible of the year 1527; “Maunday money,” coins, &c. The stalls, arranged in the various school-rooms number eight, and there are many side shows.

The opening ceremony took place from an especially prepared platform in the centre of the school playground.  Unfortunately rain fell during the proceedings. ....

The Purpose of the Scheme.

Mrs Anstruther Gray...was very glad to have an opportunity of saying a word or two about the Voluntary Workers’ Association.  That scheme, which was organised by Sir Edward Ward, was to prevent overlapping of voluntary work.  The idea was to divide the country into county districts, each district having its centre of supply to the different districts round about for material and the regulation patterns for making comforts that were required.  These articles were then collected and sent into the central districts, where they were sorted and classified, and sent either to headquarters or to regiments which most needed them.  That, however, did not interfere with any organisation which already existed for supplying units from sending in any surplus articles that they might have to the central organisation.

Perhaps one of the things that the war had taught all of them was to look upon the British Empire as a whole and as their ain country, and to realise that they must work for the whole of it and not for one part.  Sir Edward Ward's scheme was on the same principle.  There were twenty-seven parishes in the Cupar district being supplied with materials and work, and there were 1500 or 1600 voluntary workers already.  They had already sent a great many things to the front.  There were always plenty of willing hands, but money must be made to get the material that was required.  She understood £600 had already been spent, two-thirds of that locally.  All of that money had not yet been found.  The subscriptions up to the present time amounted to about £400, and it was hoped by that two days' bazaar and the free gift sale to-morrow they would make at least one or two thousand pounds.  They owed a deep debt of gratitude to Provost Stark and Mrs Lumsden, Tarvit, and the committee for their splendid organising of the sale, and she trusted their labours would be crowned with success. (Applause.)